>> very cool. this is "world news." tonight, warp speed, the presidential campaign goes into overdrive. >> are you fired up? >> this is the comeback team. poll, and show you what governor >> we bring you a brand-new poll, show you what governor romney did today and tell you where the president is now sleeping at night. stocks plummet today, the biggest drop since june. why experts say brace yourself for a roller coaster few weeks. energy drink. in the spotlight tonight, the death of this young woman raising questions. should some people never drink a lot of caffeine? and wonder girl. what brand-new thing this child prodigy did that has even grown-ups going wild.

good evening. as we come on the air, the last debate is over, and 59 million of us watched. now the campaign is headed to your doorstep. president obama and governor mitt romney powering across the country. romney will hit five states in 48 hours. obama will travel to seven, and this razor thin race got even closer. every night we're going to bring you a brand-new abc news/"washington post" poll and tonight the candidates are separated. look at this. just 0.07%. that's about 91,000 people out of an estimated 140 voters in this country. 14 days to go. it's "your voice, your vote" and abc's david muir is in the middle of the action in the swing state of colorado. david? >> reporter: diane, good evening from the rockies. tonight i've got to tell you, it did not take long for both candidates to race out off that presidential debate last night. in fact, on the tarmac in

florida this morning, i was on a plane, passengers looking out the window seeing air force one waiting for the president. then the romney plane taxiing off. a real urgency with two weeks left and as you point out this race high. it's the mad dash to the finish line. the president and mitt romney with their final arguments. >> i am fired up right now. >> we want you to start voting right now. >> reporter: both candidates crisscrossing the country. the president, a rally in florida this morning then flying to ohio. tomorrow, iowa, colorado, nevada, then sleeping on air force one as it flies back to florida thursday, then virginia, chicago to cast his vote early and then ohio all over again. mistaking off from florida flying west to nevada tonight here in colorado, tomorrow back in nevada, iowa and thursday, ohio. president obama today fueled by his final debate performance with a blistering attack on what he calls romney's shifting positions, that condition he jokingly calls romnesia. >> we joke about romnesia, but you know what, this is actually

important. this is about trust. you know, there is no more serious issue in a presidential campaign than trust. >> reporter: it's romney in a race to the finish too, looking to build on that continued momentum from the first debate firing back at the president. >> he's been reduced to trying to defend characters on "sesame street" and word games of various kinds and then misfired attacks after one another, you know, the truth is that attacks on me are not an agenda. >> reporter: both campaigns trying to reach the sliver of undecided voters left with very targeted data. the obama campaign with a smartphone app hoping supporters will download it revealing which neighbors the campaign believes could be potential supporters. in fact, as we stand right here in this denver neighborhood, on that obama application that we downloaded, in this neighborhood there are 12 flags, 12 doors they hope supporters will knock on.

we decided to test the first name on the list. so you're lawrence. you're 75 years old. >> i go by larry, yeah. >> reporter: you go by larry. >> uh-huh. >> reporter: well, the application has it right. larry told us he has no problem the name is on the list, but he says it doesn't matter. he voted early. both campaigns going high tech this year. in fact, the romney campaign says they've knocked on more than 9 million doors, made 3 times more phone calls than the mccain camp made four years ago and will add one more state to the list for the president, adding california to the list and taping jay leno and a town hall on mtv trying to reach young voters so revved up four years ago as they race to it. >> thank you, david. >> what about that big final debate last night. who really won, and what is the after-effect? abc's jake tapper traveling with a revved up president obama today. >> reporter: after a raucous rally in delray beach, florida, this morning --

>> all: four more years. four more years. >> reporter: president obama shared a moment with some enthusiastic supporters. >> i hope you are working really hard in school. >> reporter: unfortunately for the president, these floridians cannot vote and sunshine state polls show romney with momentum, but the president's post-debate swagger was unmistakable. last night the president painted romney as unsure and unsteady on foreign affairs. >> you've been all over the map and all over the map, all over the map. >> reporter: snap polls suggest the president won this final outing. >> i know you haven't been in a position to actually execute foreign policy, but every time you've offered an opinion, you've been wrong. >> reporter: but if obama won this debate, romney benefited the most from debate season. his campaign once seemed doomed. now, either candidate could win. the republican clearly had a different strategy for the night, trying to pass a threshold to be seen as an acceptable alternative. he walked away from some of his previous more bellicose rhetoric. >> i congratulate him on taking out osama bin laden and going after the leadership in al qaeda but we can't skill our way out of this mess.

>> reporter: romney search agreed with the president but the president seemingly frustrated. >> i'm pleased that you are now endorsing our police. governor romney, i'm glad that you agree. >> reporter: the most buzzy exchange came when the president responded with sarcasm to romney's charge that the navy fleet is too small. >> you mentioned the navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships that we did in 1916. well, governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets because the nature of our military's changed. and so the question is not a game of battleship where we're counting ships. >> reporter: horses and bayonets became the top debate-related search on google. one other interesting note from last night, diane, take a look at this video after the debate. it's tagg romney, mitt romney's oldest son talking to president obama. you might remember a few days ago tagg romney after the second debate in which mr. obama went after his father said that sometimes he felt compelled to run down on stage and take a swing at the president. tagg romney, we're told by sources, apologized to the president last night, and the president accepted that apology.

diane? >> all right, jake, thank you, as you said the one-liner of the night was his response about fewer horses and bayonets in the military now. viewers went crazy, as jake reported, writing online about horses and bayonets 60,000 times in 60 seconds. so we wondered exactly how many bayonets are still in military use today, and we're told the u.s. military still has more than 600,000 in its inventory just in case. and we move on now to your money and a jolt to american 401(k)s. if you checked the markets, you saw the downward spiral today. the dow tumbling more than 240 points, the worst day since june. so what is going on? abc's sharyn alfonsi tells us. [ bell ringing ] >> reporter: that closing bell sounded like the end of a prize fight, but there was no winner today. stocks tumbled across the board after a series of low earnings reports from some big household names.

first chemicalmaker dupont reported a 98% drop in profit, declining sales across the world and announced it will cut 1,500 jobs, then xerox reported earnings down too, 12%. consumer products giant 3m scaled down future earnings projections sending the stock south. add to that unrest in spain today. european debt concerns that had been on the back burner rearing their ugly head after moody's downgraded spain's credit rating. the market went into free fall. the average 401(k) dropping nearly $1,300 today. investors say another round of earnings reports in a too close to call election could make for a bumpy month ahead for investors. >> probably not a bad time to assess just how much risk you have in that 401(k) and try to think about being a little more defensive heading into 2013. >> reporter: so, again, if you have the courage to peek at your 401(k) tonight, you probably noticed it took a hit. more than $1,200 on average, but remember the market is still up for the year, so the average

401(k) is up too about $9,500. in the days and weeks ahead the market will be watching at&t, exxon and boeing reporting, so hold on. it could be a bumpy ride, diane. >> up and down all the way to the election. thank you, sharyn. and now we go from your money to your health. we have learned the meningitis outbreak is still growing tonight. word that ten more people have been sickened by contaminated steroid injections, the injections used to relieve back pain. it pushes that total number to more than 300 patients across 17 states. 23 people have died. as we know, this outbreak has been traced to a drug company in massachusetts. and now a warning about a gathering storm churning in the caribbean waters. tropical storm sandy expected to hit jamaica tomorrow, and a lot of people here in the states are watching to see if it becomes a hurricane or if it veers towards the east coast of the united states.

turn, it could mean a wet and windy halloween along the eastern seaboard, and we will keep you posted. and for everyone who's bonded with an ipad, meet the mini version today. apple announced an ipad for people who dream of a computer in their pocket. abc's neal karlinsky shows us. >> this is ipad mini. >> reporter: apple's latest big thing is small. the ipad mini is the mini me of the ipad, the most popular tablet ever by a mile with 100 million sold already. it certainly is small. it's not quite small enough to fit into a lapel pocket or the back of your jeans, but they say it's a thin as a pencil. it has all the familiar features, but it's as light as a pad of paper, half the weight of the original ipad and about two inches smaller. it's small enough to use in one hand, keep in a purse or stuff into a large pocket, though it's much bigger than an iphone. >> one-handed use.

easier to hold up in bed, easier to hold up when you're on an airplane seat. >> reporter: apple founder steve jobs once scoffed at anything smaller than the original ipad as "dead on arrival, but the competition proved there is a market for small devices like the kindle fire and android tablets. apple wants that business, though officials didn't concede feeling even a shred of heat at today's presentation. >> i can't even see them in the rear view mirror. >> just about obliterating the competition and entering a space where there is demand. >> i think if it was just about business, they would have priced it lower, but at $329 i think they are saying, we are going to make the best product for that size, not for the price. >> reporter: if you are wondering who needs a smaller ipad, history has shown that "need" has nothing to do with it when it comes to consumers gobbling up apple's latest. neal karlinsky, abc news, san jose, california. and coming up, the death of a young woman, and questions tonight.

did she drink too much caffeine? could a massive hit of caffeine kill some of us but not others? that's next. americans are always ready to work hard for a better future. since ameriprise financial was founded back in 1894, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪ constipated? yeah. mm. some laxatives like dulcolax can cause cramps. but phillips' caplets don't. they have magnesium. for effective relief of occasional constipation. thanks. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion.

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too much? abc's senior national correspondent jim avila gets answers. >> reporter: everyone knows caffeine can create a body buzz, make the hands shake, hearts palpitate, but in high doses like those found in the energy drink monster, can it kill? the fda says it has received reports of five deaths and one heart attack possibly linked to the energy drink, and it is investigating diligently but has not confirmed they were caused by monster. >> she had no pulse, but her heart was still beating. >> reporter: wendy crossland's daughter anais died six days later and is one of those five deaths the fda is looking into. >> she had a 24-ounce monster. that was it. >> reporter: this picture of a too young to die teen has been the rallying call for a crackdown on energy drinks accused of marketing their hyper caffeinated drinks to young people. senator dick durbin held it up in the senate.

drinks and it took her life. menster energy drinks in less than 24 hours, and it took her life. >> reporter: but is it possible for caffeine to be the true killer? that face' death certificate says the reason is caffeine toxicity. monster is way up near the top of the list. more than a starbucks latte. more than four cokes, and the energy drinks are built to chug. they even have large openings in the can. >> we've seen most of the health risks associated with the consumption of energy drinks and not necessarily coffee, and one of the reasons for that could be that coffee is consumed while it's hot and more slowly. >> reporter: but here's the thing, the adult lethal level of caffeine generally recognized by doctors is 5,000 to 10,000 milligrams, and it would take 31 to 62 cans of the 16-ounce monster drank one after another to reach that point.

still, physicians warn all that changes with people who respect aren't healthy adults such as children with underlying conditions like high blood pressure and heart trouble as anais had. as for monster, it says they've sold 8 million energy drinks and is unaware of any fatality anywhere caused by its drinks. jim avila, abc news, new york. and coming up here next, we learned today why this happy ending almost never happened. ross and rachel are back in our "instant index." n our "instant index." i have never encountered such a burning sensation... until i had the shingles. it was like a red rash. like somebody had set a bag of hot charcoal on my neck. i had no idea it came from chickenpox. it's something you never want to encounter. for more of the inside story, visit shinglesinfo.com

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and now our "instant index" filled with happy endings tonight for pictures and people that caught our eye starting with this video from the finale of "friends." we learned today it almost

never happened. >> please stay with me. i am so in love with you. >> i'm sorry. i'm sorry. i got off the plane. >> 52 million people watched the happy ending for ross and rachel but today the producers had resisted a happy ending thinking it was too predictable. one of the producers' rabbis said please let them be together and so the producers caved saying fans invested ten years, we'll give them what they want. and our happy person in the news today, ellen degeneres awarded the mark twain prize for american humor, a kind of academy award for comedians. >> the mark twain prize is an absolute honor, and i would like to end by sharing my favorite mark twain quote. "don't you worry your pretty little mind, people throw rocks at things that shine, and life makes love look hard." that was actually taylor swift, but she does have a point. >> ellen was praised for creating laughter filled with insight and her groundbreaking decision to come out 15 years ago helping so many young people be brave. and a happy ending of sorts as prince charles and his wife camilla made their own cameo appearance at the world premiere

of the new james bond film, "sky fall." you'll remember another royal had joined the bond fan club at the olympics. >> good evening, mr. bond. >> good evening, your majesty. >> daniel craig says that prince charles' mum was fun and game for anything. and we really do want to hear from you, so tell us which pictures, people and quotes capture your imagination every day, and tell us online at abcnews.com, or tweet them to us, #instantindex. and coming up, you've seen amazing child prodigies. ♪ >> but can you guess what thing this 7-year-old girl has just done that has the grown-ups going wow? going wow! ♪ [ male announcer ] it's time for medicare open enrollment. are you ready? time to compare plans and see what's new.

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finally tonight, as of right now, 300,000 people have searched out a tiny young girl causing a big stir, a prodigy doing something reminiscent of another little kid called mozart. abc's nick schifrin is with the newest child wonder.

♪ >> reporter: like so many child prodigies, her playing is perfect. her sound is serene, but before 7-year-old alma deutscher's feet reach the floor, she's already written this -- ♪ an opera composed for an entire string orchestra, praised by the best opera house in great britain. >> i had the theme when i was very young, and it was very mysterious. ♪ da da da >> reporter: she isn't just reading music, she's writing as she goes, all improvisation off the top of her head. how gifted is she? well, alma's already a year ahead of another prodigy you might recognize. ♪ mozart could play and name notes at 3. ♪ alma could do that at 2. ♪ mozart was first writing at 5. ♪ alma was 4.

now, over the years, we've seen some extraordinary children. umi garret was 8. brianna kahane, 7, and pint-sized jonathan okseniuk conducting at just 4. all great performers, but alma is a great composer, and some say that she writes with the same quality as mozart when he was the same age. >> i can't think of anybody quite this young. this is really remarkable. she just lives and breathes music. >> i'm writing a sonata right now. it isn't finished yet. >> reporter: more than 300,000 have now discovered her online. this young composer's melodies are creating so much happiness, and she's only 7. nick schifrin, abc news, london. and we're so glad you were watching tonight. we're always here at abcnews.com. "nightline," of course, will be along later, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow night. have a great night. ain tomorrow night.

have a great night. tonight giants prepare for game one of the world series. will the field be ready? we're live with team coverage from at and t park. >> i'm spencer christian. weather to the northwest working its way into our direction. we'll chart the progress in just a moment. >> apple steps up competition

with a new ipad mini. they're refusing to play the other guy's game whit comes to price. >> and a massage treatment promising to make you look and feel better. >> giants won the pennent. >> unbelievable! >> the giants claim the national league pennant. now, it's dune to the business of winning the world series. good evening, i'm dan ashley. >> with prices averaging more than $700 for game one, fan fever is building tonight over the giants returning to the world series. fans showed enthusiasm into the night after the giants won the national league pennant. we have team coverage for you tonight. abc 7 news larry beil and reporter wayne freedman of live. giants gaming their starting